


and they all lived happily ever after

by aluegoine



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Bad English, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Getting Together, Kids, M/M, also lowkey daycare au, lapslock, lmao spelling is rough and vaguely english, lowkey soulmate au, sorry i live on twitter, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22030435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aluegoine/pseuds/aluegoine
Summary: ooh hoo a skz fic that is vaguely and ambiguously soulmatey inspired by that one- look all of the skz maknae liners have their designated hyungs tweet and it's Very Unnecessarily long they're all short little getting together episodes that all end with a kiss except minsung's because they're in a courtroom lolor so i thought then i finished writing it and still managed to worm it in there lmao also! two of the pairs have kids and the other two just Are kids except felix and chan aren't really that obvious i just wanted to not leave them out of the //soft gay times// endeavour
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 95





	1. that breathless feeling, you'll experience it eventually

**Author's Note:**

> this all stemmed from some strange innate desire of mine to make a changbin x seungmin daycare au and embarrass the hell outta changbin but the kidTM really just developed into an entity of his own and we got some fake dating sprinkled in there too but it really only lasts a good two minutes before it becomes real so

changbin is nosy. he considers it one of his best and worst traits. sure, he's saved one of his friends during a dark time a couple of years back, but he's also lost a few friendships because he just didn't know when to stop.

still, when the parents of the kids at his daycare were this interesting? anyone would have gotten nosy.

he's been keeping an eye on this parent for a little while, but he's never had a chance to talk to him before. it's now that he decides is a good time to act, as most of the kids begin to file out with their parents. he grabs little jaehyun's hands, leading him to the entrance to wait for his dad to show up.

as usual, seventeen minutes past four, a young boy in a school uniform comes rushing in, hair disheveled from running. he pants a little, but all of the tiredness that he shows is wiped away when he catches sight of little jaehyun, opening his arms wide as the little child comes bounding to him.

"jason!" he laughs as he hugs the child. "did you miss me?"

jaehyun nods, pouting at the high-schooler. changbin tsks from the entrance, shaking his head. it's like seeing a child hug a child. he makes his way over and introduces himself to the boy.

"ah, i'm seungmin." the boy offers a hand, smiling. he carries jaehyun with the other hand.

jaehyun, or jason, was relatively new to their daycare center. he had been there for about a month, and moved from the states, so he used english more than korean. changbin wasn't too familiar with him, because it was mostly alice who took care of him because of her extensive english vocabulary, whereas changbin didn't even know what 'uncle' meant.

"how old are you?" changbin asks, to which seungmin laughs, looking down at his uniform.

"i'm twenty. i look young, right?" seungmin laughs again. "it's because i'm shooting for a drama right now, so i'm always in a high school uniform. i attend the university nearby, though."

changbin's ears colour at the thought of them attending the same university. seungmin's even only a year younger than him, score. "oh really? alright. let me know if you need any help!"

seungmin's eyes sparkle. "do you guys babysit too?"

"not the organization," changbin shakes his head. "but i do, on the side. i'm available most weekends and hours when the daycare isn't open."

another fairylike laugh erupts from the younger. "i'll keep that in mind. say, do you mind giving me your number?"

changbin's ears go even redder. he stiffly takes the phone offered to him and enters in his number, leaving the contact name blank. seungmin beams. "i'll call you if i need anything."

it only takes three days for him to call. changbin is confused to receive a call from an unknown number, especially when he's working, but he picks up anyway.

"hello? is this changbin? i'm seungmin, jason's guardian." changbin wants to die the second seungmin starts talking. his voice sounds impossibly more beautiful over the phone, and he's about to collapse.

"yes, i remember you. did you need something?"

"my shoot is going to end later than i thought, is it possible to keep jason there a little later?"

changbin sits up, grabbing his notepad and changing the pickup time for jaehyun. "when are you going to be done?"

"six thirty?"

his pen stills. "the daycare closes at five, though. could you make it any earlier?"

"i'm afraid not."

"would you mind if i took jaehyun to my apartment? it's nearby the university, and i can text you the address. i don't want him to have to wait outside of the daycare building for two hours."

seungmin contemplates. "alright. could you let me know when you get to your house so i don't wonder?"

"yep. i promise jaehyun will be safe with me."

he hangs up, waddling over to tell the other caretakers and jaehyun what the schmuck was. the little boy looks up at him, asking quietly in english. "are you my uncle's boyfriend? my uncle said that one day when he gets a boyfriend he'll bring me to his house."

changbin only has a vague idea of what the word boyfriend means, and an even vaguer idea of what jaehyun is asking him, so he just nods and affirms whatever the boy says, completely unaware of what he's even talking about.

when they arrive at changbin's residence, jaehyun wows at the size of it. changbin thinks it's comparatively modest considering his parents' mansion, but it's still a good bit larger and cleaner than most apartment complexes around the city.

he texts seungmin and gets to preparing some snacks for the little boy. jaehyun is amazed at everything, from how white the couch is to the cold marble counter-tops.

"jaehyunnie," he calls from the kitchen. "what do you usually do with your dad when you get home?"

the child bristles. "i haven't seen dad in a while."

"seungmin?" changbin asks. "is he always out for work?"

jaehyun shakes his head. "seungmin's always home. he helps take care of me and helps me learn korean, and then when i go to sleep he goes out again. i don't know where he goes, but i woke up one time and it was really lonely."

a thought that changbin had never had suddenly crosses his mind. "is seungmin your brother?"

"no, he's my uncle!" he says in english, with an adamant shake of his head. changbin understood the shake, so he takes that as it is. twenty really is young to have a child, he thought to himself. hopefully the poor boy was doing okay.  
after jaehyun happily eats his snacks, changbin coaxes him to learn some korean with the flashcards that he has stashed somewhere for when he babysits. jaehyun gets tired quickly and falls asleep, so changbin lays him out nicely on the couch and drapes a blanket on him. he bides the rest of his time by working on his newest track, humming to himself as he worked.

seungmin whistles upon entering the apartment, trying to keep his eyes from falling out of his head as he sees the expensive television posted opposite of the couch. "damn, are you looking for sugar baby applications?"

changbin laughs. "are you short on money?"

the seriousness in the nod that seungmin gives him makes changbin's smile falter. of course he would be needing money, he's a twenty-year-old father.

"are you looking for a job right now?" changbin tries again, voice soft as to not wake jaehyun. seungmin takes a seat at one of the chairs by the island.

"once my drama wraps up i'm going to have to find a part time job. i have no offers for the rest of the year, anyways."

changbin considers for a moment, grabbing a glass and pouring some juice from the fridge. "would you maybe want to work at the daycare center? we're looking for part timers right now."

seungmin is surprised when changbin sets the glass in front of him. changbin smiles. "jaehyun told me grape juice was your favourite. good thing, it's mine too."

"do you think i could come in for an interview sometime next week? for the daycare job."

changbin laughs, walking to the opposite side of the island, so that he faces seungmin. "do you want to do it now? i'm in charge of all of the interviews here anyways."

"now? but i don't have my resume--"

"that's fine. you can just send it later, you have my number. so, why do you want to work at sunshine daycare center?"

"i just. need money, i guess? and i like kids. i mean, i like jason. i think i'm good with kids. my sister says i'm good with jason, anyways."

"what's your level of experience?"

"well, i helped to raise jason, though not much." seungmin ponders. "i used to babysit when i lived in the states, too."

changbin raises his eyebrows. "does jaehyun have a mother?"

"of course?" seungmin fixes him with a strange look. "you've probably just never seen her, she's still wrapping up some things in the states with her husband, but she'll be back soon and i'll be free."

"you don't have custody of jaehyun?"

seungmin gives him another weird look. "no? i don't need to in order to take care of him, and his mother requested it. it's not illegal, i swear."

"it must be hard for you, then." when seungmin gives him yet another strange expression, he elaborates. "i mean, doesn't every father want to be there for his child?"

the silence in the room is deafening, and changbin starts to sweat, wondering belatedly if seungmin somehow didn't know that jaehyun was his son. 

seungmin bursts into laughter. "you-- you thought that i was his father?"

it's just then when jaehyun starts to stir, woken by the loud laughter and the piercing noise of changbin's embarrassment.

"i think so." changbin flushes, looking away. "sorry."

"no, no, i think it's hilarious." seungmin doesn't stop laughing, causing changbin to blush even more. he's never wanted to die as much as that moment. "jason is my nephew, his mother is my sister. that would make me his uncle, not his father."

changbin nods, apologising again. jaehyun waddles over from the couch, climbing onto the chair next to seungmin and placing his hands on the island. he smiles at the two as they watch him quietly. "are you having fun with your boyfriend, uncle?"

he asks this for once in perfect korean, and both of them choke a little on their spit. before they begin to protest, seungmin's phone starts to ring. he picks up, signalling to jaehyun to be quiet.

"hello? oh yeah, he's right here. i'll put you on video call."

seungmin directs the phone to jaehyun, who immediately screams out, delighted. "hi mommy!"

"hi jason!" comes the sweet voice from the other end. she sounds like a female version of seungmin, and from what changbin can tell, looks like one too. "where are you guys?"

before seungmin can get a word in, jaehyun answers for him. "we're at uncle seungmin's boyfriend's house!"

"oh?" she sounds curious. "seungmin has a boyfriend?"

"it's not like that, he's not my boyfriend--"

"so you're letting jaehyun go to a stranger's house? in your care? i trusted you--"

seungmin chalks, immediately glancing over at changbin worriedly. he keeps his eyes on changbin for his reaction when he speaks. "fine, fine. he's my boyfriend, we've been dating for..."

he trails off, and changbin offers help, raising two fingers in the air. "two years."

this makes changbin's eyes widen. he thought that seungmin would say two months, not two years. seungmin offers him another apologetic look.

"and you didn't tell me?"

"you were in the states, and it never came up when we called. sorry."

"why didn't you bring him on any of your visits?"

seungmin pales and looks back up at changbin, begging with his eyes. changbin grabs his phone, writing quickly on it before sliding it over so seungmin can read the excuse he's come up with. he says it directly as he reads. "his parents are really loaded so he's not actually allowed to leave the country with anyone because it always causes news articles to be released. it would be too much of an issue."

when he's done reading he looks up and changbin and mouths, wait, really? to which changbin nods and mouths back, totally. don't even get me started on the fans at the airports. 

"really? bring him to our welcome party next week, then. it's in the country, so it should be fine, right?"

seungmin looks at changbin for confirmation before nodding. "sure, i'll introduce him to you."

"good, it's long overdue. give the phone to jason for a little bit." he gives jaehyun the phone, letting out a loud sigh once the kid gets far enough.

changbin chuckles. "well, guess i'm your boyfriend now."

"yeah, sorry about that." seungmin grumbles. "i'll think of a way to get you out of it soon, i promise. if we've been dating for two years, they're going to start pushing for marriage pretty soon and though i'm sure you're okay with playing my boyfriend i'm not too sure if you want to be married to me too. sorry, you're probably not even gay."

"no, i am." changbin chuckles again, avoiding seungmin's gaze when he looks up. "i'm also pretty sure i wouldn't mind being your real boyfriend either."

silence. changbin's gut churns, but since he's already cut the first rope he might as well let himself fall into the pit. "from what i've heard from jaehyun you're single and looking for a boyfriend, no?"

seungmin giggles, making changbin finally look at him. he thinks that the blush on seungmin's cheeks is beautiful, and he gapes again. seungmin just giggles again. "take me on a date first."

as if on autopilot, he immediately replies. "are you free tomorrow?"

seungmin nods. "it's my off day, no filming."

"who will take care of jaehyun, then?" changbin looks over at the kid chatting happily with his mother on the couch. seungmin flushes, giggling again.

"i guess we just have to take him with us."

...

this is a bad idea. this is a really bad idea. does he look good enough? he put effort into his outfit today. changbin paces back and forth in front of his apartment building, waiting for seungmin and jaehyun to arrive. he sees them walking up and straightens, double checking if his fly is closed.

"hey." seungmin says as he walks up, and changbin feels like his heart is going to fly out of his chest. the little beret that seungmin has on and his light blue shirt are such a refresher from the usual school uniform. he has a pink lip tint on that makes changbin's eyes naturally go to his lips, and although he wants to steal a kiss, jaehyun is around and that's probably not super appropriate for the first date. or at least, not the beginning of it. in the wise words of his older friend chan, never start a date with a kiss unless you want it to end with sex, though changbin wouldn't really mind that either. but not with jaehyun around.

"let's go, we can take my car." changbin leads them to his vehicle, some car that he doesn't know much about other than it's pricey. seungmin seems to appreciate it though, eyes going wide at the logo and poking the leather seats in disbelief.

"you own this?"

changbin nods. he has the child seat set up in the back for jaehyun already, so once the little one is in he motions for seungmin to come up to the front. seungmin is taken aback when changbin reaches over to put on the seatbelt for him, not even looking properly because he's done it so many times.

"do you usually do that for all of your dates?"

at this, changbin looks over. he blushes. "ah-- no, it's just that i usually ride with my mom, and she likes it when i do that for her. i-- i've never actually been on a date before."

"you?" seungmin looks at him incredulously. "you've never been on a date before?"

"why, is it surprising?" he flushes.

seungmin glances away, mumbling. "well i'm surprised because you're so good-looking."

"you think i'm good looking?" changbin's just fishing for complements at this point but he wants to hear it again. seungmin just avoids his gaze, making another grumbling noise and pouting. changbin laughs, reaching over to pinch seungmin's cheek as he starts the ignition.

they spend the car ride rather peacefully, filling up the silence with the animated stories that jaehyun tells. the little one quite likes to talk, changbin notes to himself with a grin. when they've arrived at the bowling center jaehyun has already gone crazy, jumping around with excitement as soon as they let him out of the car.

the day passes quickly, filled with laughs and memorable moments. though, the moment which sticks with changbin the most is when jaehyun runs over to him, pulls him down, and whispers. "i hope you stay my uncle's boyfriend for a long time."

changbin has a hard time wiping the smile off of his face after that.

"well, did i pass the test?"

seungmin tilts his head at changbin's question, holding jaehyun's hand as they walk towards the car. 

"you said i had to take you on a date first. did i pass?" changbin's nervous to hear the answer, stumbling slightly as he skips through the parking lot.

the look in seungmin's eyes is difficult to read. changbin is about to tell him to forget it when seungmin stops, letting go of jaehyun's hand to cover his eyes and grab changbin by the collar, kissing him hard.

"oh," changbin says, breathless, when he pulls away. "i didn't think we could do that."

seungmin laughs, pulling him in again.

"don't worry, he'll have to experience it eventually."


	2. another hundred, another thousand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aw this is just Homesickness but very vague because if i wrote actual homesickness i would Cry and also as an awkward aussie i kind of just made half of fic abt aussie pride so it's hella short oop oh and peep hyunjin on the side and random oc named jaehyun because i like that name obviously it's not the same person as the kid because that would get Hella Weird so fast

felix clicks the door shut behind him, careful of his luggage. he slowly pads into the house, before stopping suddenly and returning to the entrance to take off his shoes. the carrier he brings with him makes mad noise on the wooden floor, and he's careful not to wake any of his new roommates. not like anyone would be seriously asleep at four in the afternoon, but he's just being careful.

he wonders if the landlord was awake. should he look for him? on the profile, he was listed as chris, and seemed pretty young, though he was sure that description fit just about everyone living in the household.

"aye, what's this." one of the roommates exits from his room, making his way around the stairs to felix. he seems to size the australian up, before deciding he looks like a little baby and becoming arrogant. "are you the new roomie? what's your name? where are you from?"

felix tries to signal that he doesn't understand korean that well, but the other guy doesn't get it so he just says the one foolproof phrase he knows. "pardon?"

the guy repeats what he says, only faster and louder because he's becoming more irritated. felix winces. doesn't this guy get that he just wants him to repeat it slower? again, he tries. "pardon?"

"i said, who are you?"

"ah, i'm the new roommate. my name's felix lee, i've just moved to korea." the man's eyebrows go up into his hairline when felix actually says a longer sentence, realizing how deep his voice is. although he's taller than felix, he can't help but feel intimidated, taking a step back.

"i'm jaehyun, in that room." he points to the room he had come out of. "i'm right under your room, so sorry if we get loud with the sex."

it's felix's turn to raise his eyebrows, and he repeats it in disbelief. "loud, sex?"

jaehyun shrugs. "what can you do, my boyfriend lives with his parents. we try to spare you guys and go to motels most of the time though, don't worry. if hyunjin wasn't so adamant about chasing that one high school boy and if chan actually got out more we would all be the same."

he stops to size up felix again, but with a different intent this time. "do you have sex? or no, are you even gay? don't tell me you're one of those who bring home girls."

felix gapes, unsure of how to respond. this jaehyun guy talks way too fast. thundering steps come down the stairs and suddenly someone else appears, all curly hair and a dimpled smile that makes felix's heart start thudding in his chest.

"hi felix!" the newcomer says, making his way to the two. "good afternoon jaehyun! i see you've met our new roommate. i'm chan, or well, chris. welcome to our home, felix."

he says all of this in english, which makes jaehyun's eyebrows raise and felix's heart soar at the familiar language, and even better, the familiar accent.

"you can speak english too?" jaehyun asks him, english slightly accented but in that way that makes it obvious he grew up in someplace cool like french or germany. felix nods, and chan turns around to sling an arm around felix's shoulders.

"he's a fellow aussie, from sydney like me." chan says with a proud grin.

jaehyun nods, scanning felix one more time. "alright, champ. i've got work in a bit, so i'll leave the house tour to our landlord here."

they nod as he busys himself in the kitchen, allowing felix and chan to properly talk for the first time.

"you'll like it here. the kids are a little rough around the edges but i assure you they're all angels."

felix nods as he follows chan up the stairs. he stops in front of a wide open door revealing an empty bed. "is this my room?"

"yep. i'll give you some time to set yourself up, and then you can join us for dinner. jaehyun's got night shift today and i don't know when exactly hyunjin's getting back, but it should be fine."

"is hyunjin the other roommate? why did jaehyun say something about him chasing a highschooler?"

chan smiles. "you'll get to meet him soon. ask him all you want then."

he nods, closing the door politely and turning to face his blank canvas of a room. with a crack of his neck he begins unpacking, ready to vomit all of his belongings around the room.

...

"chris." he says one day, some months into living at his new home and the rest of the roommates out on their own endeavours. "why don't you have a boyfriend?"

chan laughs, pinching felix's cheek. "because the person i like doesn't like me back."

at this, felix frowns. "how do you know if they don't like you if you don't ask them?"

"true," chan smiles, meeting his eyes. "so do you?"

silence.

felix feels his neck heat up, mouth going dry as he tries to move but is stuck. chan doesn't break eye contact, still staring at him with the same kind eyes that felix became so used to. the person who had become his comfort for the homesick days, and his guide for the happy ones.

"yeah, probably."

chan laughs. "what do you mean, probably? is that a yes or a no?"

"why don't you find out," felix mumbles under his breath, reaching forward just a little so that he's close enough to chan that he could kiss him. he keeps his distance, just looking into chan's eyes.

"what is this supposed to mean?"

felix huffs. "i'm bad with words okay, you know what it means."

"do i?" chan chuckles, leaning in to capture his lips in a sweet kiss. he pulls back to look into felix's eyes again, as if asking him for confirmation, before reaching forward to grab his hair softly and pull him back in for another kiss.

or maybe another hundred, who knows.


	3. a sweet and tart kinda first love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay the fact that this was completely to fulfill my obsession with high school dramas aside oh my goober i love the side characters really might write them their own fic some day none of them are supposed to be based on any other real people or anything even though i definitely stole a name or two but just. read it. they're too cute.

"oh gosh, look at ahin. she's come back to school with a bleached head, how pretentious."

jeongin barely even glances at the direction that they're all motioning before he returns back to his book, shrugging. "she looks nice."

jungha turns an incredulous look upon him, her short bob flicking against her neck. "you have guts. even chanhee doesn't dare to say these things because he's scared minah will dump him."

he raises his eyebrows, still focused on his book. "then that's his problem. i'm not the one dating minah."

"do you want to be, though?" minah leans over, twirling her hair around her finger and giving him her signature foxlike smile.

chanhee has enough decency to look scared, worriedly glancing between him and minah. jeongin scoffs, flipping a page in his book. "i really don't understand why chanhee can still stick to you like that. exactly how many boys did you meet up with over break?"

minah scoffs, turning back around from where she's perched on the desk in front of jeongin. he shakes his head, unsure of how exactly he landed himself at the center of the most popular, prettiest, bitchiest circle of friends in the whole school, but now that he was a senior he really couldn't bring himself to care. the thought that graduation was near and approaching was all that kept him from leaving this hellhole.

there was minah, self-proclaimed prettiest girl in the school. she was known for being a fox and was easily the leader of these hooligans. somehow she ended up at the seat in front of jeongin every single year, and once she got past wanting to get in his pants the two became fast friends. 

jungha, minah's right hand man, was seated ironically at minah's left. she was the most popular girl at her middle school, so when she was bumped to second place by minah she wasn't exactly happy. however, after a while the two grew into perfect partners in crime. 

then there was chanhee. he was quiet, handsome, and pretty in the way that could easily be hidden by his clunky glasses and shy nature. jeongin was originally drawn to him by his beauty(read: he had a crush on his quiet seatmate) but after realizing that chanhee was straighter than a ruler and had a long-running crush on minah, he helped to put them together. though many say that chanhee is too nerdy for minah, or that she could do better, jeongin would easily put them together again. those two seemed to be a different kind of perfect match.

this year, somehow, they were all seated together again, shoved into the back corner by the window where the teacher didn't have to deal with them. although they gossiped like forty year old women making kimchi, they were his friends, and he still didn't hate them as much as everyone else in the class.

he sighs, unable to concentrate on his book. somehow coming back after the winter break this year had made him more miserable, used to the quiet, lonesome comfort of never having to leave his apartment.

"chanhee, can you buy me some food?" he asks, fishing out some money to give the boy. jungha slaps his hands, scolding him.

"can't you just wait a few more minutes? the girls are going to start coming in with their daily confessions again."

he laughs. "oh please, we're all seniors now. i bet they've gotten used to me-- plus most of the girls in our year have boyfriends."

minah shakes her head, motioning to the entrance of their classroom. "speak of the devil."

five or six girls come in, maybe some from the next class over. they carry an assortment of snacks in their hands, and all seem to be looking at each other with giddy blushes. whoever their leader is directs them over to where the four sit, and they quickly pile jeongin's desk with snacks. a few stray stragglers here and there end up on chanhee's desk, mostly out of pity, but the majority of the loot all goes to jeongin.

he smiles at the girls, earning a few giggles and squeals. "thank you guys, i'll enjoy the snacks."

they exit quickly, whispering among each other and exchanging wide-eyed looks of excitement. jungha swipes about a third of the snacks as soon as they leave, and minah plucks a couple from the assortment. chanhee is contented with what he already has, and even offers some to minah, who refuses with the excuse that she's on a diet.

jeongin scoffs, opening one of the packets of bread and gulping down half in one bite. he makes a noise at the taste and chews slowly, appreciating the taste of free food. it takes the teacher two packets of bread and one bag of chips to arrive, at which jeongin shoves all of the remaining food into his bag and puts on a fake model student smile.

the teacher today is accompanied by an unfamiliar face, one that has the girls letting out dreamy sighs and the guys looking up in piqued interest. mr. oh, their homeroom teacher, smiles as he surveys the room and takes a look at the little bitches that he has to deal with this year. he opens their roll call book, eager to learn the names of the few unfamiliar faces among the crowd of students.

"jeon heejin?" a girl, petite and dark-haired, raises her hand from somewhere in the front. if jeongin remembers correctly, she transferred in last year, and had average to good grades. she had never liked him, for which he was glad, and he's pretty sure she has a boyfriend from the states.

"kim ahin?" the bleached blondie from earlier raises her hand. jungha and minah scoff at her, and jeongin takes the opportunity to actually take a closer look. he supposes she does look a little like a rip-off elsa, but he still thinks that the hair suits her.

"lee gunmin?" jeongin looks over at this name. this guy is seated at the back row, on the opposite side by the hallway. he remembers the way this guy was bullied in year one by the seniors for being gay, and wonders if he's been doing well. the guilt of not stepping in that time still stays with him.

"yang jeongin?" he raises his hand, making eye contact with the teacher and subsequently the tall man next to him. even just a few seconds is enough to leave jeongin flustered, blush creeping up his neck. for as cool and nonchalant as he always was, jeongin always became a mess in front of handsome boys. maybe that was why his friendgroup was so dominated by women.

the teacher rounds up his roll call by introducing himself, even though most of the class is more than familiar with him, and then turning to the boy next to him and introducing him as the teacher's assistant, or student teacher. his name is hwang hyunjin, and he attends university nearby.

jungha turns around to jeongin, waving to get his attention. she smiles at him, fluffing her hair. "do i look pretty enough? i have to look nice in front of the new assistant."

jeongin scoffs, a slight furrow forming in his eyebrow. "please, do you think you'll be able to catch him or something like that? he's way too good for you."

this catches minah's attention. "woah, i didn't know you could complement someone this much. do you know this guy or something?"

"oh well," he flushes, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding the gaze of friends. "something like that."

he doesn't actually know this guy. he also doesn't know how long he can live out this lie, but it's already too late. jungha and minah never forget something once they hear it, and chanhee is definitely going to get on his case once they get off school grounds.

it turns out he doesn't have to devise a plan to fulfill his horrible lie. the answer somehow falls right into his lap. during one of the breaks in class, when the teacher has already left, hyunjin comes bounding over to the four of them. jungha quiets down, fixing her hair quickly, and minah fixes him with a gaze halfway between a glare and a squint, wary.

chanhee whispers to him worriedly. "are we in trouble--"

something none of them expect comes tumbling out of hyunjin's mouth. the whole class goes eerily silent after he says it, everyone looking over in amazement.

"jeongin!" hyunjin beams, placing a hand on jeongin's desk and leaning against it. "do you remember me?"

at this point, too frazzled but also aware of his own lie, he nods slowly, forcing a smile on his face. it comes out awkward and a little constipated, more of a gape and a grimace having a tango. 

hyunjin's eyebrows raise, teasing smile never leaving his face. "really? that's a relief, then."

all jeongin can think of is how pretty hyunjin's smile is, and how he looks so ethereal it shouldn't be real. his skin and teeth and hair are all perfect, and the cute little mole under his eye, and the small divets in his cheeks when he beams widely. he just nods on autopilot, completely unaware of how he looks to the outside world.

"alright." hyunjin says, reaching out a hand. jeongin really cannot predict what happens in this moment; he can hear nothing but the loud thud of his heart beating and see nothing but hyunjin's hand. it's like he moves in slow motion, and jeongin can do nothing but watch, motionless and still.

"see you around." are the nonchalant words that leave hyunjin's mouth as his hand arrives on jeongin's head, ruffling his unbrushed hair a little too quickly for jeongin's taste. he leaves just as quickly, like a flash of light, and jeongin feels the classroom around him slowly get back to what they were doing, although somewhat confusedly.

his own friends affix him with a concerned manner, each in their own way. chanhee puts a hand on his shoulder, trying to go for the comfort route, whereas minah just grabs him and shakes him, hard. "what the hell was that? i thought you didn't know him that well."

jeongin stutters, unsure of what to say. he's still thinking about hyunjin's warm, large hand messing up his hair, and his head burns where the older touched it. jungha's the one who snaps him out of it, literally, directing his attention to her instead. 

"do you think you could introduce him to me?"

"no!" he protests, immediately frowning and adding, quieter. "don't involve me in your man catching endeavours."

she tsks, turning back around to talk to minah, who still looks concerned for him. once the girls are turned away, he sighs, taking out his textbook for the next class. chanhee does the same, but he comments quietly. "do you think jungha and that new assistant look good together?"

jeongin's expression immediately darkens. "what kind of good looking-- no! they'll never get anywhere, he doesn't like her, they're not meant to be."

"it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself." chanhee smirks a little, adjusting his glasses. jeongin looks over subtly, trying to gauge his expression, but chanhee continues, oblivious. "then again, you've never been wrong about a couple, so."

...

before he can even think, jeongin is the hot topic of the school. all of the senior classes and even some of the underclassmen now know that he's all friendly with the new teacher's assistant, and it's been making his life even more miserable.

girls come to him asking to be matched with hyunjin now, all of which he refuses with an annoyed pout. a lot of guys are asking him to get the test answers, but he refuses them too. he's pretty sure that he and hyunjin have made it to the top of the shipping list that the fujoshis have as well. (sometimes he'll check their sns page for any new fanart, and gets a gem occasionally among all of the more than slightly explicit artwork.)

hyunjin talks to him a lot, and it makes him guilty for not remembering where he's met this guy before. it's not like he can ask, even if he hadn't lied about it he still can't get a word out whenever hyunjin's around anyways. all sorts of weird rumours start up about why jeongin, the school's famous ice prince who never loses his cool, is so awkward around the new teacher's assistant who he's supposedly got history with. among all of the theories, the fujoshi club's theory of it being result of the surprisingly massive crush that jeongin has on hyunjin is the closest to accuracy. although, they insist it's a longterm crush that has stemmed from years of being hyunjin's next-door neighbour, which he knows isn't true.

the boys favour the theory of hyunjin being jeongin's middle school bully, and use it to dirty hyunjin's name. it doesn't really work, but some of the girls have turned against him.

another theory, one of jeongin's favourites just because of the mere audacity, is that hyunjin is the current boyfriend of jeongin's ex-girlfriend sana. sana was a year older than him, hyunjin's age, and is currently attending the same school as hyunjin, but jeongin's more than sure that the two have no idea who the other is. the only reason why he dated sana-- and for so long-- was entirely stemmed from the desire to help her hide the fact that she was lesbian from everyone.

(the craziest theory by far is one created by the more extreme of the fujoshis and was picked up and given fuel by some of the boys who really resented jeongin for his popularity. it goes that hyunjin and jeongin slept together once and now hyunjin blackmails jeongin into giving him sex-- every time jeongin hears whispers of it around the halls he can't help but laugh. the fact that it's gained enough of a following to be one of the most popular theories is already enough to laugh at.)

jeongin catches gunmin looking at him from across the room one morning as he receives his daily pile of snacks. although the other boy looks away quickly, jeongin continues looking at his side, watching as he blinked. the girls giving him the snacks go a little too quiet for comfort, and he turns his attention back to them with a grand smile, thanking them.

"you've been really weird these days." minah muses, fixing her foundation. chanhee nods, reaching up a hand to pat jeongin's shoulder.

minah turns around to look at them, folding her arms on jeongin's desk and looking up with raised eyebrows. "did you hear?"

they both make confused noises, and she reaches a hand back to pull jungha's chair back so she can tilt her head back and look at them, still fixing her lipstick. "i'm going to confess to hyunjin today!"

jeongin starts choking on the bread that he's eating, causing chanhee to laugh as minah pats him on the back. when he's regained himself, he goes back to jungha. "you can't do that!"

"don't be jealous." chanhee teases, and jeongin feels a blush start at his ears. he grumbles under his breath.

"why not?" jungha blinks, putting away her lip tint.

"because," he stutters. "you're not meant to be!"

minah raises an eyebrow. "you've never cared about this before, though?"

jungha nods. "why do you only care about who i confess to now?"

"hey guys, don't pressure the poor boy." chanhee slings an arm around him, defending him from the others. "he doesn't realize his own feelings yet.

jungha scoffs. "hey, do you like me or something?"

"what?" jeongin asks dazedly, unable to form a response. jungha humphs, turning back around.

"if you don't like me, then forget it. stick around after school if you want to see me confess and get a boyfriend!"

minah laughs at her antics, turning back around to continue talking to her. "sorry, i can't stay after today. i have a date."

"with chanhee?"

"who else? that means i can't make it either, so." chanhee replied from behind the two. jeongin doesn't like the shit eating grin on his face as he nudges jeongin while gesturing to jungha. "it's just going to be the two of you, alone."

jungha stops moving for a split second, before she goes back to her books. jeongin can't shake the anxiety churning itself in his stomach, unable to focus. what if hyunjin accepts her? if they start dating? what if they get married? is jeongin going to have to live through all of that as jungha's longtime friend? what if he has to give a speech at their wedding? what is he going to say?

his thoughts plague him until the last bell of dismissal rings, and he begins packing his supplies. on one hand, he thinks that if he makes a run for it he doesn't have to see hyunjin and jungha become a happy couple, but he also knows that his anxiety will never let him leave the school grounds.

as minah and chanhee leave together, jungha grabs his hand, dragging him out of the room. she leads him to the teachers's office, where hyunjin is seated at one of the cubicles. handing him her bag, which he slings over the shoulder that doesn't carry his own bag, she grabs both of his hands and directs his attention to her.

"wish me luck." she says smiling, squeezing his hands once before she leaves, entering the teachers' room with a bow. jungha seeks out hyunjin quickly, reciprocating his greeting and speaking to him quickly.

jeongin feels sick. maybe it wasn't a great idea to come out and watch this after all, or maybe he should turn away. he hates that the window is right in front of his eyes, capturing his attention, but he forces himself to turn to the opposite wall. he doesn't know what he would do if he saw them kiss.

the door behind him clicks open, and he's too afraid to turn around but he hopes that jungha had exited alone, because he really wasn't emotionally prepared to see hyunjin at that moment. he feels arms wrap around his back and he stiffens, frozen impossibly still. it's not until he hears little sobs that he turns around, letting jungha fall into his arms as she cries.

"he rejected me!" she wails in between her sobs. it's natural for him to snake an arm up to cradle her head, stroking her hair softly to comfort her.

he can't keep the smile from appearing on his face as he speaks to her quietly, offering what he can as assurance. "it's alright. i told you, it's not meant to be. another man will be your true love."

"but who? it feels like every man isn't the right one."

jeongin knows he's bullshitting but he's more focused on keeping the smile on his face from creeping into his words. "there are many boys who like you. maybe you have to look closer rather than farther. don't forget those by your side while you're busy looking forward."

she stays silent for a long time, sniffling here and there. "do you know what he said to me?"

he hums, pulling her in for a tighter hug.

"he said that he didn't want to date me because he was gay."

this makes jeongin freeze. "really?"

she hums. jeongin has to bite his tongue to keep himself from bursting into joyous laughter. he feels like he's on cloud nine, floating around dazedly. he might still not be interested in you, he has to tell himself, but he knows it's no use. jeongin's too far gone at this point, and he's given up on keeping the giddy smile off his face as he looks up.

looking up is an accident. standing there, staring out the glass window, is hyunjin, face just as captivating as it usually is and expression unreadable. jeongin feels his mouth go dry, the smile smacked off of his face as he makes direct eye contact with hyunjin. he doesn't know why he feels like he has to say something, explain himself, try to keep the moment for a bit longer, but hyunjin reaches an arm forward and closes the blinds on the window.

jeongin's world disappears, and as jungha slowly pulls away from him with her makeup now smeared all over his shirt, he stares. gaping, as she thanks him and apologises for the shirt, offering to help him wash it if needed.

she waves in front of his face. "jeongin."

he's back down to earth. "yeah?"

"are you free right now? let's go eat tteokbokki."

"uh, ok." he follows her out, unaware of the whispers that ripple through the few students hanging in the halls at their intertwined hands.

...

"jeongin, are you dating jungha?"

he's stopped still by this question in the middle of the hall, chanhee just a half a foot away from him. the girl has an accusatory look on her face, arms crossed.

"uh, no? i'm not dating jungha."

the girl scoffs. "then do you like her?"

jeongin stutters. "well no, i--"

"then explain this." the image on the phone screen shoved in his face is a little blurry but he can see it just fine. it's an image of him comforting her the day of her rejection.

"i'm just being a good friend, there's nothing to explain."

the girl humphs. "how could you say that it's nothing? do you find it fun to steal jungha from our prince hwang?"

ah. this is one of hyunjin's fanclub members. jeongin mirrors her position, letting out a humph of his own. "hyunjin and jungha aren't dating. don't assume things like that."

"you don't understand." the girl grows more frustrated. "after sorting through millions of possibilities we determined that jungha is the only one of us who is worthy to date prince hwang. he likes her too, we're sure of it!"

jeongin raises an eyebrow. "if he likes her then why did he reject her?"

a gasp ripples through the crowd. the girl who is confronting him covers her mouth in disbelief.

"liar. there's no way that mr. hwang rejected her. his standards cannot be that high, where's the hope for the rest of us!"

"do you think it's because there's something wrong with jungha? does she secretly have a wart on her back or something?"

jeongin's eyebrow begins to twitch at the gossip that begins to rise. before he can take action, everyone's attention is turned to something behind him, and he feels a hand wrap around his shoulders.

"stop starting rumors, kids." the familiar, melodic voice cuts through the stunned silence. "i rejected jungha because i like men. don't insult your peers behind their backs."

even more gasps arise. jeongin sighs, mumbling under his breath. "you shouldn't have said that."

"why?" his ears heat up at hyunjin's response. he didn't think the assistant could hear him. it made him realize how close to him hyunjin really was, making him blush more.

"people can get nasty about those things around here," a voice brings jeongin's attention forward, to gunmin, who smirks knowingly. "right, jeongin?"

he feels his face heat up impossibly more, and his throat constrict. without warning, he breaks free of hyunjin's grasps and runs to the stairs, desperate for air. once he reaches the rooftop he stops, focusing on taking deep breaths. the air tastes cool.

"jeongin, are you alright?"

with a start he turns to face hyunjin, who's panting from the effort of running up the stairs to follow him. he looks somehow even more beautiful with his hair slightly disheveled, the tie he usually wears loosened ever so slightly.

"jeongin?"

he looks up to meet hyunjin's eyes, panic filling his lungs again. before he can realize it, he's doubled over, wheezing for air, tears stinging at his eyes.

"i just wanted to make it through this year. i didn't have that much left." he repeats to himself under his breath, words cut up by the sharp inhales and harsh exhales.

hyunjin approaches him slowly. "i'm not going to hurt you. can you tell me what's wrong?"

jeongin wipes quickly at his damp eyes, straightening himself. his breathing evens out after a few seconds, and he opens his mouth to talk. "where have we met before?"

"we haven't." hyunjin chuckles, looking away. "i just wanted an excuse to talk to you because i thought you were cute. sorry, did that cause you a lot of trouble?"

he blinks. "you think i'm cute?"

"well, yeah. i thought that was obvious. but i get it, you're straight and you have a girlfriend--"

"i have a girlfriend?" he blinks again.

"ryu jungha, was that her name? i saw you two after school the other day."

jeongin has to pinch himself to keep from laughing. hyunjin notices and punches him lightly in the side. "don't tell me you're gay and have a crush on me too, that would be embarrassing."

the look he gives hyunjin makes them both burst into laughter, clutching at their sides and not caring who could listen. once they've recovered, hyunjin's eyes find his again. "so, does that mean you accept? do you wanna be my b--"

hyunjin tastes like strawberries, sweet and tart like the scent of a first love. a love found during simplistic, innocent times that wash away with the waves of adulthood. a first love, a beginning to many more. though, jeongin's not sure if he wants another one.


	4. feels like it was meant to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> minsung enemies to friends to lovers au? yes. add a kid in there? Hell yes. sara is actually adorable. if the reference is unclear, she's called sara(korean name) and sarah(english name) by her appa(korean dad) and papa(english dad). yes jisung's english in this fic. deal with it. at the beginning jisung exclusively calls her sarah and speaks to her in english just to mess with minho and minho revenges by only calling her sara and using korean with her but eventually they both start to mix it up and blend it together because they spend too much time with each other and *watery eye emoji* they're SO CUTE!

"all the tears i spent at that bitch's funeral are going to be wasted if i don't get this child, so you better let up." jisung grits his teeth as he speaks, glaring with all of his power.

minho scoffed. "do you think you can actually get custody of her? you should look at yourself first, you didn't even graduate highschool."

"does that make you any better than me, a diploma?" jisung raises his voice. "you don't even have a job!"

"then we can call it equal."

jisung can feel a vein about to burst. "how is that equal? i am sarah's blood related uncle, where the hell did you come from?"

"the mother's side of the family, you ass." minho fixes him with a disgusted look. "i'm a blood-related uncle too."

"fine." jisung makes an indignant noise. "then we give it two months like the stupid judge says, and then we let sarah pick which uncle she likes more."

minho glares at him. "i hope you know that i'm going to raise sara as a father, like she was my own. let's see if you compare to that."

"good," jisung smirks. "i'll raise her as my own too, and we can see who's the better dad."

when they had made that deal, neither of them expected it to result in this moment. though really, they had it going for them.

the shop owner leans over the counter to give them the booklet, a warm smile on her face. "these are our options for birthday cake. which one are you looking for today?"

minho leafs through the options seriously, before flipping back to the purple and pink option. "let's get this one."

"pink?" jisung's nose wrinkles. "just because sarah's a girl? stop implementing the stupid gender roles given to you by the world, we need to teach sarah to make her decision free of societal bias."

"sara's favorite color is purple." minho says through gritted teeth. "which you would know if you were actually a good father."

jisung is taken aback, looking visibly offended. "she calls me papa! that's more special than you!"

"that's because you always talk to her in english because you know i can't understand you! she's learning bad things from you."

"are you saying i'm a bad influence? i can't be nearly as bad as you."

minho grumbles. "says the one who can't cook."

"ok, boomer."

"we'll get the purple cake."

jisung groans. "please, that thing is barely purple! we should get the one with trucks on it."

"sarah's second favorite colour is pink, babe." minho grits out. neither of them comment on the petname.

"or maybe the music cake? sara likes music, right?"

minho raises an eyebrow. "are you sure you're not just forcing those upon her because you missed them in your own childhood?"

"how did you know?" jisung meets minho's surprised eyes. "i've never had a birthday cake in my entire life."

the shop owner giggles. "well of course he'd know, he's your husband. so, the pink and purple cake?"

"please." minho replies with a smile. before she can turn around completely, he adds. "and the music cake as well."

jisung's eyebrows furrow. "why'd you get two? are you going to cut them in half and mash them together or something, like a dumb visual representation of a compromise?"

minho chuckles, shaking his head. he places the cake booklet back onto the counter and turns to jisung with a subdued look in his eyes.

"do you think i forgot? your birthday is the same day as hers." minho sighs. "i thought if you've never had a birthday cake before you might as well experience it once. plus, it'll make sara happy."

jisung is quiet for a minute, before he speaks again. "you know my birthday?"

"i mean, didn't the shop owner say that earlier?" the smirk on minho's face tells his words before he says them. "of course i'd know, i'm your husband."

the fake show of vomit that jisung puts on is defeated in an instant with minho's charming laugh, like the sound of twinkling bells and clinking glasses. he stops for a moment to admire the way that minho's eyes scrunch up when he laughs, highlighting his beautiful smile.

also, he hates this guy. he wants him gone so he can get sole custody of sarah even though he knows that he can't actually take care of her alone and having minho around would be a lot of help but that would definitely have to involve them getting married and maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.

but he still hates this guy. yeah.

...

"papa!" sarah opens the entrance gate of the play area, running full speed to her dad.

"baby!" jisung exclaims as he scoops her up and swings her around. when he puts her down, she grabs his hand, shaking it.

"where's appa?"

jisung is flustered by this. "minho? i don't know, maybe he's late today."

"call him." sarah says flatly, not letting go of his hand.

"i- i don't have his number, love."

changbin raises an eyebrow at this. he's been watching this couple of parents for a while-- at first because they're gay, and then because for parents, they always fought. and now, they don't even have each others numbers? he doesn't understand how they live.

on one hand, the two parents would always be on the brink of swearing at each other whenever they had come in to retrieve their child, but then they would backhug each other while signing sara out on the sheet at the receptionists, or they would link arms on the way out.

"would you like to call him through our system?" he offers. "we have his number registered under sara's contact."

jisung looks at sarah, before nodding. changbin leads him over to the receptionist's desk, asking to borrow the phone. he finds minho's number in the phone book before inputting it and giving the phone to jisung.

"hello?" the voice comes filtered through the phone but it still makes jisung's stomach turn waves. he really hated this guy so much that he had a bodily reaction every time he even so much as saw his face.

"hi, minho."

"oh, it's you." minho's tone immediately turns sour. "why are you calling from the daycare center? did something happen to sara?"

jisung chuckles. "you recognized my voice right away, huh? sarah's fine. she's just asking where her appa is."

"this is why i keep telling you to get each other's numbers. we need it, for emergencies!" minho sighs. "i'm sick, so i can't go pick her up today. tell her i'm sorry, and that i love her."

"you're sick?" jisung asks, surprised. "aren't you always on about health or something?"

"i forgot my umbrella the other day and got caught by the rain. it's nothing, i'll be fine soon." he explodes into coughs as he says this, making jisung's eyebrows knit.

"i'm coming over, see you in fifteen minutes." he hung up, thanking changbin for the phone.

the daycare employee raises an eyebrow. "you don't know his phone number but you know where he lives?"

jisung shakes his head. "since we share custody, i have to take sarah over to him every other week. plus half of her stuff is over there-- i have to go get it when i need it, so i have a spare key."

"why don't you just live together?" changbin muses. "it could save you money and time. is it because of your jobs?"

by then jisung has already scooped up sarah and is making his way to the door, waving to changbin. the older shakes his head, returning back to the play room to retrieve jaehyun.

when they arrive at minho's, jisung comes in as quietly as he can, afraid that minho may be sleeping. sarah asks him if she can take a nap and he obliges, taking her to her room and tucking her in.

once she's situated he exits her room and crosses the hall to get to minho's room, cracking the door open slightly. he has a bag in his hands, and sets it on the table once he sees that minho is awake.

"how are you feeling?"

"rough." minho grumbles. "you shouldn't have brought sara here. what if she gets sick because of me?"

"colds aren't contagious." jisung dismisses easily, reaching into the bag to get the assortment of medicine he had bought. "this is painkiller, cold and cough, and mucus relief. i wasn't sure what exactly you'd need, so i just got everything."

"you really didn't have to do this." minho says, reaching for the painkiller. jisung stops him, grabbing the painkiller and setting it back a little.

"wait a bit, i'll go make you some food. you can't take these on an empty stomach."

minho scoffs in disbelief. "you, make some food? are you sure you don't want to poison me or burn the house down? i'll have you know, if you're planning arson then sara's still in here."

jisung sticks out his tongue. "relax, i'm just reheating takeout. i can't burn anything down with the microwave, right?"

wrong. the loud bang from the kitchen startles minho out of his drowsy state, forcing him to lug himself out of bed, throwing on a hoodie and running down the hall as fast as he can without collapsing. 

he tries to open his eyes, vision blurry from sleepiness and sickness. "jisung? are you alright?"

"something in the microwave exploded." minho pads his way over to jisung, using an arm to pull him away from the microwave and slowly opening it. the insides were covered in food, and he smelled it slightly.

"did you microwave an egg?"

"are you not supposed to do that?"

minho grunted. "i've told you not to microwave boiled eggs so many times you little shit! what if you get hurt?"

"you care if i hurt myself or not?"

this draws another strangled noise out of minho. "what if sara gets hurt?"

"asshole."

"dropout."

"jobless."

"bitch--"

"papa, appa, what's up?" sara asks from the entrance to the kitchen, making the two immediately look her way. "are you two hugging? i want hugs too!"

they took a moment to asses themselves, realizing that after minho had stepped in to inspect the microwave jisung had peered over his shoulder, leading him to press against minho's back comfortably. neither of them had noticed.

minho coughs, walking quickly to the other side of the kitchen to grab some paper towels. he starts cleaning the microwave, motioning for jisung to go and settle sarah.

"nothing's wrong, baby. are you hungry? we'll get you some food, and then we can go home."

"already?" sarah pouts. "but i want to stay at appa's house."

jisung looks over at minho, who's still cleaning the microwave, coughing as he does so. he sets some food down in front of sarah, handing her a spoon. "your appa is tired. we can come see him again tomorrow, okay?"

"promise?" the child stares at him with round eyes, knowing full well that jisung can't say know. his stomach knots at the thought of having to see minho again the next day, but he nods and lets her get to eating.

...

minho smiles as he snaps pictures of sara and jisung blowing out the candles on their cakes together, saving some to send to the rest of their family. their family was appropriate, right? technically jisung is his inlaw, anyway.

"babe, can you cut some of the cake for sara to have?" jisung just nods, at this point used to the petname somehow. somewhere in minho's head he justifies it with the thought that it would look weird in public if it wasn't easy to identify that he and jisung were related to sara(literally, they've had the police called on them before), even though he knows that they're just in jisung's apartment and there's no one around.

the little girl's face lights up when they both present her with their presents, and she giggles at the thought of receiving more presents from her friends at school. they send her off with smiles and kisses, and she makes them both kiss each other too before she leaves.

on the ride home, minho takes some time while stopped at a red light to fish out a box he's been hiding since they left the apartment. he hands the simplistic, small box to jisung with a smile.

"you can open it now."

jisung looks confused. "what is this?"

"your birthday present," he chuckles. "open it."

inside is a dainty bracelet, silver and stylish in the way that jisung has a fancy for. minho had it engraved with three sets of initials.

"why are there three?"

minho bristles. "the family set was on sale, so i just added mine in there. it's cheaper than the couple one, okay? plus, sara's are small and cute just like she is."

"the family set," jisung smiles himself silly at the thought. "alright. i'll wear it well."

"you better." minho chuckles as he pulls into the parking of the apartment. "wait, why did i go to my apartment?"

he laughs nervously. "sorry about that. i'll go back and drop you off."

jisung sighs. "it's fine, we have to go and pick up sarah together anyway. i'll just stay over."

minho blinks. he moves before he thinks, turning off the engine and exiting quickly so he can open the door for jisung on the way out.

"i'll never get used to the way your apartment smells."

this causes minho to make a face. "what is that supposed to mean?"

"it just smells," jisung stops to take off his shoes. "overwhelmingly like you do. it's not a bad thing."

minho hums. "are you hungry? i'll reheat yesterday's leftovers."

"oh right." jisung stops. he chooses to ignore the little voice in his brain telling him hey, you've spent the past week staying over at minho's. that's a new record for you. "when's the next trial?"

"i think this weekend? or something like that."

"time sure flies." jisung mumbles. the thought of another consultation makes his gut twist, because then, he might not ever see minho again.

...

"your honour, may i ask how we could possibly share custody over sarah?"

the judge peers down at him. "you're both gay, right? if you get married, then you can both keep her. otherwise, the decision will be made today on which of the two of you is more worthy."

"and if neither of us are worthy?" jisung asks, uncertain.

"then she goes into foster care."

jisung and minho exchange uneasy looks. as much as they tease and joke around, they both know that neither of them had the financial means to raise sara alone. minho raises his hand, asking for a moment to discuss with jisung, which is granted. he walks over and grabs jisung's arm, looking away as he speaks lowly.

"what do you want to do?"

he bites his lip nervously as he responds. "should we just get married? we could just divorce later once we get a lot of money--"

"do you want to marry me?" minho's question catches him offguard, and he finds himself looking away nervously.

"i don't know?"

minho meets his eyes. "like seriously. not because of sarah or the trial but because you feel like it."

when jisung doesn't respond, it triggers minho's fight or flight and he just continues talking, unsure of what he's relaly saying. "because i know you like me but i don't know if your liking me is that kind of like or--"

"what about you?" when minho looks up jisung tries his best not to stutter. "do you want to marry me? or is it just for sara?"

"i'm asking you because i already have my answer. it's a little fast but i really like you, jisung. i don't know why i even feel this way, but having a family with you is just so-- perfect. like it was meant to be."

"are you done yet?" the judge asks, raising an eyebrow.

jisung fiddles with his hands, before shoving on into his pocket and pulling out the box he has been hiding for about a week now. he opens it shyly, trying to keep it out of the view of all of the spectators. "look i know this is really unromantic and everything but i honestly thought you were hot since the first time we met and i wasn't sure exactly how to do this so i postponed it a little too much and now it's come up at really not the right time and--"

"you're right, it really is bad timing." minho growls, stepping in to glare at jisung at a closed distance. "if we weren't in a courtroom i could have kissed you by now."

"wait, does that mean--"

minho quickly slips the ring on himself and shoves the box back into jisung's pocket, returning to his side of the courtroom and addressing the judge again. "we've discussed it well, your honour."

jisung swears he can see the judge smirk. "and you've decided that you want to share custody no matter what?"

"yes, your honour."

she smiles. "then i can call this case closed. the custody will be given to both of you as long as you get the marriage certification submitted before may. congratulations, to all three of you, on becoming a family."

sarah leaps up from where she's sitting on the side. "yay!"

minho laughs freely as he catches her in his arms, twirling her around. jisung walks over to the two with a fond smile. "i guess this was just how it was meant to be, huh."

"of course!" sara nods ferverently. "do you know how hard i worked to force you two to get married?"

the two laugh in disbelief. she shushes them, taking each of their hands in hers and pulling them out of the courtroom, all while skipping.

"i even knew the proposal was today, so i prepared an engagement party in advance." their jaws drop to the ground when they're greeted outside by a limousine and an assortment of their friends.

chan waves them over. "come on, affianced. don't want to be late to your own party."

sarah bounds over, excited to see her uncle chris after some time. jisung and minho exchange amazed looks.

"are you sure she's only seven?" jisung stage whispers, to which minho laughs.

"who knows, she could be a vampire."

as they're getting into the car, minho stops him suddenly with an arm. "jisung, wait. we forgot something."

"what?" jisung does a mental check of sara's belongings. "i don't think so--"

minho leans in to give him a quick kiss before shoving the rest of him into the car. jisung flushes, sorting himself out, and flushes even harder when minho comes to sit next to him and lays a hand comfortably on his thigh.

yeah, it really was meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i had patience and motivation this would be longer but honestly it's a christmas miracle that i even finished this thing. oh my goober this is hella long.
> 
> like and subscrib hehaaw


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